is eating this for breakfast, lunch, AND dinner?



I have lots of these that look like this. I know the ones towards the right are weeds (with a pretty blue flower - I forgot what they're called). Not sure what the one on the left is...but the ones on the right are all over the yard, and I'd say 80% look like this. What's doin it?

Mary

Mary,

Are they Hosta's???

And if they are, they hole chewer's
are more than likely snails/slugs....

Go out side at night time with a flashlight..
Or if there is slime trails on and around
the leaves....

Hey Weezie,

Definitely not hostas. My hostas a faring pretty well (I'm surprised, actually - we do have some big nasty slugs)

Here's another case of the same flower, in a larger scale. This is growing on the back side of my shed







Isn't it horrible looking? it's better than looking at the bare shed, so I'm leaving it - but it's 'bugging' me not knowing why it's looking like that

The only thing I can think of apart from slugs is
Caterpilla's.

I would still think slug like. Those buggers are relentless!

BTW, can I have weeds like yours?! Those are sooooo pretty!!!!

Meg

Meg - they spread so prolifically, I can send you one and you'd have a yardfull by next year! LOL! I've been pulling them up in the flower beds...every day since spring!

I did find out what those holes are, I think. The smaller plant on the left is Eastern black nightshade, and the bugs eating it (and stuff around it I guess) are flea beetles.

"Leaves are usually riddled with holes from flea beetles feeding"

nightshade

Who knew?!

Mary, I feel for you honey...I pull a handful of those everytime I go outside...they can take over a yard overnight! THEY ARE EVERYWHERE!!!! I only wish the slugs would eat mine....nothng bothers them! The slugs choose my flowers & herbs over the pretty weeds! UGH!!!!!!

Ugh..I'm really sorry they dont feast on yours like they do mine. That's kind of why I haven't been plucking them religiously! Figure better they eat those than the flowers! Not that I have all that many flowers - and now I'm reluctant to put my seedlings in the ground - they don't seem to have gone up into the pots

hi all,

what a coincidence ;as i were looking in this topic to write my probleme here s Mary with the same problem.

tonite i was in my backyard and noticed on my grootendorst(rose tree) that all the leaves had big holes everywhere and it was so ugly,i just love the grootendorst it hurts me to see it like that.

so i lift up a couple of leaves and as it happen like princess azlea said ,i saw a caterpillar;it was green ,funny i know it is a cattrepiller xept i though they were brownis,is there many kind.

please help me and Mary.

That horrible stuff is known as wandering jew in my neck of the woods. It's a shocker of an environmental weed in Oz and is very difficult to kill. Even spraying needs to have repeat doses. Go the bugs. I'm cheerin yuz on.

Is there a household remedy like maybe lemon dish detergent in the water

Post 385 the secret is the soil. I do not think it is soil why not my whole garden,so far just 3 plants but it is spreading to others I tride lemon detergent but its too soon to tell and I,am afraid if it keeps spreading anyone have this problem

ilovetogarden, Longy's signature line is 'the secret is the soil'. He wasn't suggesting it's our soil that's causing the problem The flea beetles have gotten my malva zebrinas, and the leaves look pretty ugly. It's also gotten to most of the wandering jew and the nightshade. I've still been pulling the wandering jew because it's so invasive, but have left a lot of the nightshade, so the flea beetles will feed on that and not my other stuff! It hasn't helped the zebrinas, though I haven't given them much TLC this year either except to let them grow and 'just be'. I think as far as flea beetles go, I found this link that gives some control recommendations. I'm all organic, so that's what I looked up. You might also check at night, to see if they are slugs that are eating your plants...if so, you can put out a shallow bowl of beer, and they will be attracted to that and drown. Just put it away from your plants...you don't want to attract them to the area, but rather lure them away. I'm not real sure what to do about catterpillars...sorry I can't help there...but hope some of this info helps you

I'm glad to finally have a name for it - Wandering Jew. I don't think it's an ugly weed, in fact I rather like it. But the dastardly plant won't stop growing in places I don't want it to!

Kelley